Happenings @ IU EURO and current events of Europe

Eurostar Reduces its Services

If you have ever travelled from the UK to continental Europe, you may have used Eurostar to get there. Eurostar provides a high speed train service from the UK to France, and to Belgium as well via the Channel Tunnel. Since 1994, more than 130 million passengers have utilized Eurostar trains. Eurostar is considered a better alternative to flying to reach more than 100 destinations across Europe.

Although Eurostar is a fast and convenient method of travelling within Europe, recent attacks in Paris and Brussels have resulted in a reduction of its train services. By the end of 2016, Eurostar plans to cut around 80 jobs along with serval of its daily services. In a recent interview, Eurostar chief executive, Nicolas Petrovic, attributed a 3% decrease in ticket sales to the Paris/Brussels attacks, Brexit, and the migrant crisis.

Eurostar has yet to announce which services it will remove from it schedule. Job removals will come primarily in the form of voluntary redundancy or sabbaticals. Since the recent attacks, visitors are less willing to visit Paris and Brussels where Eurostar has major stops. A reduction in sales has resulted in an annual slide £21 million for the company. In response to a cut in train services, Eurostar hopes to extend the size of its trains. Although Eurostar is going through a turbulent period, the company’s main priority is to protect the interest of its employees.